Birmingham Media Archive Project: The First Decade 1982–1992

Since December 2025, a group of Midlands-based creatives have worked closely with Vivid Projects’ media archive to uncover the social, political and cultural forces that shaped community media between 1982-1992.

The group have explored overlooked media heritage through the work of pioneering organisations active in this critical decade, including TURC Video, Wide Angle, the Midlands Video Consortium and the Birmingham Centre for Media Arts - which emerged in 1992, and became 'VIVID'.

During the 1980s workers, activists, artists and organisers across Birmingham documented their lives, their struggles and campaigned for change. At the same time, industrial, housing and social decisions were made that shaped Birmingham's future.

Through research, discussion and hands-on engagement, the BMAP group have navigated and reinterpreted these materials, bridging generations and lived experiences, and bringing fresh perspectives to the archive.

Charlotte Bailey, Marley Starskey Butler, Erinn Dhesi, Nafeesa Hamid, Jayne Murray and Vignesh Venkataramaiah now present a series of responses that foreground stories often absent from mainstream histories, offering new ways to see and understand Birmingham’s past.

Birmingham Media Archive Project: The First Decade has been funded with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.